Because the Patriots thought Beckham was good enough for them,
the Giants had reason to wait on their decision to deal him away.

It's not the first time the Patriots have shown such influence
over thinking across the league. In 2016, an unnamed free agent
drawing no interest reportedly wound up receiving calls from four
other teams as soon as the Patriots showed interest.

Faulting the Giants for the logic is hard. As Florio points out,
the Patriots have had success throughout the Brady-Belichick era
trading for receivers. Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Brandin Cooks,
Chris Hogan, and more, all had huge roles with the teams that
their former employers were forced to watch in frustration.

Rather than suffer a similar fate, Simms says the Giants decided
on keeping Beckham in New York. Given the success of the Patriots
in the past, it was probably a smart move.